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Automotive

Adient Rethinks Interior Technology for Autonomous Vehicles

Designers are envisioning new looks for vehicle interiors, as in-vehicle connectivity and electrified powertrains usher in the autonomous driving age. As more EVs enter the...

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Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Automated Data Translation in THE HOT SEAT

Seating development and manufacturing are full of variables that need to be streamlined and made manageable to accommodate a complex array of customers, partners, product variants and end...

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Articles
Robotics, Automation & Control

AYE, ROBOT!

Since 1961, General Motors has used robots for work described by the three Ds — difficult, dangerous or dirty. About a decade ago, GM started looking at ways to move robots from today’s highly-restricted work cells into an...

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Unmanned Systems

New SAE President Focused on Big Data

Well-known in the mobility industry for his expertise in mechatronics and propulsion-system engineering, Mircea Gradu, Ph.D. begins his one-year term as SAE International President amid technology shifts that are rocking the automotive status quo.

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Transportation

A Rebel’s Guide to Chassis Engineering

Herb Adams didn’t invent modern American car handling, though he was present at the creation. Read on to learn more about his trials and tribulations.

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Articles
Power

LEAF Turns to the 2020s

The 2018 Leaf, now packing 150-mi (241-km) operating range, and with +200-mi (321-km) battery capability coming for 2019, will lead Nissan’s electric march into the new decade. Read on to learn more.

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Technology Report
Automotive

Repaired Carbon-Fiber Frame Can Be Stronger Than Original Structure

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have demonstrated a new “reversible” adhesive for multi-material joining that...

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News
Automotive

More Adhesives Help Stiffen Honda's 2018 Odyssey Structure

Structural adhesives are gaining in usage popularity as engineers employ the bonding agent with lightweight materials to help achieve a continuous bond for improved vehicle rigidity...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Automotive Prepares for 3D Printed-Part Assault

The use cases for three-dimensional printed automobile parts are plentiful, but significant production applications of the additive manufacturing process have been almost non-existent in...

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Materials

Toyota's New Structural Blue Paint Shimmers on Lexus LC500

We normally think of color as the product of the absorption of certain wavelengths to leave only the desired color to reflect. But it can also be produced by colorless surfaces...

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Design

OA-X Contender Moonlights as AFRL Testbed

Months have passed since the United States Air Force (USAF) finished the first phase of its light attack aircraft experiment. The OA-X assessment, which took place at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB) in...

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Electronics & Computers

SAE Government/Industry 2018: AT&T Reaffirms Mobile 5G Trials, DSRC ‘Still Alive’

In Washington, DC, at the 2018 SAE Government/Industry meeting this week, cellular-communications giant AT&T affirmed in a session on...

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Test & Measurement

Lights Communicate Hella's Autonomous Vehicle Messages

Imagine autonomously driven vehicles communicating with the human drivers of other vehicles by non-verbal, easy-to-understand messages. It’s a scenario that has lighting supplier...

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Automotive

Osram and Vergence Automation Develop New Lidar and 4D Camera for Autonomous Vehicles

The pace of autonomous vehicle development is driving new opportunities for established auto suppliers to expand their technology portfolios. Recently...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Nissan's ProPILOT Assist Is More Than Lane-Keeping

An SAE Level 2 partial automation system helps a driver keep a Nissan car centered between lane markers at highway speeds and during stop and go traffic jams.

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What We’re Driving
Transportation

2018 Kia Stinger

The 2018 Kia Stinger is one of the year’s biggest new-vehicle surprises for me. It showed its mettle by earning a finalist spot in the 2018 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year voting, of which I took part,...

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What We’re Driving
Transportation

What We’re Driving: 2018 Toyota C-HR

Owing to its sharky-oddball styling, you’ll be in your share of gas-station conversions with the C-HR. Apparently originally meant to be a member of Toyota’s Scion youth brand, the C-HR striking to...

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Propulsion

FCA Turbocharges the 2019 Jeep Cherokee

FCA used the Jeep Cherokee's significant mid-cycle revamp for 2019 to introduce a new, sophisticated 4-cylinder gasoline engine to the popular midsize SUV.

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Propulsion

Achates Power OP Engine Begins Real-World Test Phase

In 2016, Achates Power received a $9 million award from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s ARPA-E program to develop its opposed-piston gasoline compression ignition (OPGCI) engine. Through...

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Automotive

2019 Jetta Gains Space and Tech with Move to MQB

As some automakers are ditching the U.S. sedan market in favor of more profitable crossovers and trucks amid moderate retail fuel prices, Volkswagen is continuing to see the compact market as...

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Automotive

Infiniti Concept Conjures a New-Tech Q45

The design signature for autonomous technologies and connected vehicles could be a car’s front-end, and that message--delivered in edgy design language--is a centerpiece of the Infiniti Q...

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Automotive

2019 Kia Forte Gets 'Smart' CVT

Kia’s 2019 Forte compact sedan gets the spicy exterior design cues of the Kia Stinger fastback sports sedan and improved mpg with the first production 'intelligent' variable transmission from parent...

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Software

Nissan Xmotion Blends Interior Artistry and Technology

The influence of Japan’s landscape and traditional wood crafting techniques are dovetailed in Nissan’s Xmotion (pronounced cross-motion) concept CUV, a design exploration that...

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Transportation

New Toyota Avalon Gains Advanced Suspension, Lighting Systems

An adaptive variable suspension that improves ride and handling, and a dynamic headlamp system that illuminates the surroundings on curved roadways represent brand-first...

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Automotive

Mercedes Boosts Off-Road Prowess of 2019 G-Wagen

Enthusiasts still call it the "G-wagen" and its boxy exterior form remains faithful to the 1979 original. There's still a ladder-type frame, three fully-locking differentials and low-range...

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Power

Ford Unveils 2019 Mustang Bullitt, Promises Performance EV

Ford bet heavily on its heritage cards at the 2018 Detroit auto show. After unveiling a new-age midsize pickup coming in 2019 that revives the Ranger name, the company went on to...

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News
Automotive

Lexus Unveils Concept Flagship Crossover

A key product missing from the portfolio of Toyota's luxury division is a flagship crossover utility vehicle. That’s likely to change, given the world debut of the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept at...

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Road Ready
Transportation

2019 Ford Ranger Returns as a Midsize with 10-Speed and Turbo Four

Ford has been content for years to allow other automakers to profit from midsize pickup trucks. When the company discontinued the compact Ranger in 2011, after a 27-year...

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Road Ready
Transportation

Chevy Unveils Larger, Lighter 2019 Silverado at Detroit Auto Show

With chief rival Ford setting sales records with its F-Series pickups and FCA’s Ram brand prepared to unveil an all-new Ram light-duty pickup at the 2018 Detroit auto show,...

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